< projects | Avenue J

Modern office lobby with a reception desk, a glass windowed exterior, and minimalistic furniture.

Creating community with common spaces

Modern residential apartment complex with colorful mural, trees, and parked cars in the foreground.
A large wall map of a city's transit system and streets, with a seating area consisting of two tables and red chairs, and a modern sofa in a room with wooden flooring.

Affordable housing

New Hope Housing asked us to create cohesive opportunities for residents to connect in their multi-family affordable housing community, Avenue J.

We pulled the public areas together with a unified feeling and a sense of connection to the neighborhood, creating places for residents to gather or use the common areas of the building in new ways.

A grid of colorful abstract artwork on the left and a grayscale map with a blue route line on the right.

Fabric of the neighborhood

We were asked to design a work of art on the building that would create a sense of place and connection with the art, color, texture, and individual expression of Houston’s historic Second Ward .

Outdoor seating area with a white table and blue chairs under a roof, overlooking a grassy courtyard with colorful cylindrical seats, trees, and a modern multi-story building with a colorful facade.

Mural and outdoor furnishings

The large scale mural weaves history and cultural influences with the experience of the new building.

Durable and comfortable outdoor furnishings allow for flexibility within private and communal settings.

Modern living room with blue walls, two women and one man sitting in chairs with blurred motion, a round coffee table, patterned ottomans, framed black and white architectural photograph, large black pendant light.

Interior design

Any space in which one might linger became an inviting place for residents to gather.

Diagram of a multi-level underground hall with pathways, benches, bars, calisthenic stations, and directional signs for steps, levels, and a star indicating the start point, labeled 'Follow the symbols in the hall'.

Building fitness

Graphics throughout the halls, calisthenic equipment. and motivational messages in the stairwells create shared experience in otherwise empty and passed-through spaces. The fitness track inside the building threads all of the community and common spaces together.

Developed by New Hope Housing
Building design by Kirksey Architecture
Construction by Camden
Mural production by Foxmark

All Images

Modern office reception area with a reception desk, blue wall behind it, and large glass windows to the right. There are two people at the desk, with one standing and one seated, and some furniture in the foreground, including a blue cushion and a ro
Outdoor space in front of a modern multi-story building with colorful accents, featuring a lawn area with scattered colorful round stools, trees, and a sheltered seating area.
A collage featuring a mosaic of various images including street art, color swatches, and a portrait, alongside a grayscale map with a blue route marked from bottom to top.
A man standing and looking at a building with a mural that features a map of Channel Lake, with trees and planters nearby.
A modern waiting room or lounge with blue walls, a round black coffee table, a large gray drum-shaped ottoman, and two orange patterned ottomans. There are three chairs with two occupied by blurred people, indicating movement. A woman wearing glasses
A man in a checkered shirt and gray pants is operating a wheelchair lift on a blue door at the Avenue E J Fitness Track. The door and surroundings are painted blue, with a black table or counter to the right.
A room with tables and chairs, featuring a large wall mural of an old city map with streets and landmarks.
Colorful modern multi-story apartment building with a brick and metal exterior, a mural on the central wall, and parking area beneath.
Colorful mural on the side of a modern apartment building, featuring abstract shapes, patterns, and a map with a river and streets.
Map of a multi-level parking garage with routes marked to follow symbols in the hall, including upward and downward arrows, and calisthenic stations. Levels 1 to 4 are shown, with designated areas for stretching at the yoga lawn, benches, bars, and s

More Projects

Children playing on a wooden playground structure in a park during the daytime with trees and houses in the background.
Modern house with angular design, large windows, situated among trees under a partly cloudy sky.
Modern white house with a two-car garage, surrounded by trees and a wooden fence, with a concrete driveway and a small pathway leading to the front door.